Utility outlet boxes may be installed in building walls to provide access and/or disposal points for utilities, such as water. In one application, outlet boxes may be installed within building walls during the construction or renovation, and pipes and/or fixtures may be connected to the outlet boxes. Leaks that develop in the outlet box, such as in the connected pipes and/or fixtures connected thereto, may be difficult to discover because water drains out of the outlet box. Water leaking in the outlet box may drain or otherwise intrude into interior portions of the surrounding wall potentially causing mold or water damage. Additionally, even if the leak is discovered, removal of a portion of the wall or removal of the outlet box from the wall or may be required to repair or discover the offending leak. Accordingly, there is a need for an outlet box that prevents water leaks from intruding into the surrounding building walls, that increases detectability of leaks, and that improves ease of repair of leaky fixtures and/or pipes connected to the outlet box.
Previously-implemented outlet boxes may also be difficult to mount to building walls and may not be securely attached when mounted thereto. For example, some currently existing methods for attachment of outlet boxes include securing the outlet boxes using straps. However, straps may require access to the rear of the outlet box during installation, and not provide adequate structural support for the outlet box alone. There is therefore the need for an apparatus that facilitates an easier and more secure means of mounting the outlet boxes within building walls.
Previously-implemented outlet boxes are also configured for use in a single application, such as installing a water fixture for supplying water to an appliance. Installation of additional boxes may be necessary to provide additional drains, an air admittance valve, or additional water supply valves, for example. Therefore, currently existing outlet boxes do not provide sufficient versatility for installing different combinations of fixtures.
Further, previously-implemented outlet boxes do not easily accommodate attachment of differently sized pipes or different fixtures, and do not allow for pipes and/or fixtures to be connected to the outlet boxes at different positions. For example, a pipe above an outlet box may need to be routed to the underside of the utility box because the top of the utility box does not include an appropriate receptacle for receiving the pipe. Even when the previously-implemented outlet box installed in the building wall has an appropriately located receptacle for receiving a pipe (e.g., at the bottom), the receptacle may not be appropriately sized for connecting the pipe. The previously-implemented may not allow for installation of fixtures having differently sized attachment portions.